


life's to short for black coffee.

by guilt_is_for_mortals



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Martin Blackwood being the Sunshine he is, Martin has some slight body image issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Pining, Tim being the Sexy Man he is, Tim loves all about Martin and does not want to hear any of it, also Tim being a barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22051306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guilt_is_for_mortals/pseuds/guilt_is_for_mortals
Summary: For the lovely Zykaben and her promt on discord:Martin likes the hot barista at the local coffeeshop but doesn't wanna be That Creep™️ who hits on employees while they're working because ew.Tim is more than willing to turn up the charm
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Tim Stoker
Comments: 21
Kudos: 133





	life's to short for black coffee.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zykaben](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zykaben/gifts).



The first time Martin walked into the coffee shop it was more or less on accident. It was the week after Christmas and people must have gotten a lot of stuff they didn’t like, because the streets and shops were crowded and loud. He felt completely overwhelmed by it, all the voices, the volume, everything mixed up. He had always been one who preferred solitude to hustle and bustle. He had fled to an alleyway, away from the broad shopping street. Leaning against a wall, his gaze fixed on a point on the opposite of the street. Breathe in. Breathe out. Everything was fine. He would just take a little detour back home.  
  
When he detached himself from the supposed wall again, he noticed that his back was not a wall but a window. Behind the glass there were tables, chairs, plants and a huge chalkboard on the wall hanging over the counter. "Special of the day: strong black coffee with a shot of rum". Martin snorted out a laugh that left a white cloud in the cold air. His fingers were frozen stiff and the thought of putting them around a hot cup of steaming coffee was heavenly.  
  
Before he knew it, he had climbed up the two steps to the entrance and entered. It smelled wonderfully of freshly made coffee and cheesecake, it was warm and quiet, only three other guests were sitting at the small tables. One was writing on his laptop, two friends were chatting in a corner. Behind the counter, which Martin now approached, stood the most beautiful man he had ever seen. His complexion was the colour of coffee with a strong shot of milk, he had chocolate brown eyes and even darker hair. For a moment Martin had forgotten how to breathe.  
  
"Hello, and welcome to... ah... are you okay?"  
Martin must have stared at the man for a little too long and was now blushing violently, could feel the warmth travelling all the way down to his chest. The fate of a pale man, he blushed almost all over his body.  
"Ah, I... Yeah? Sorry, it's just... the crowd of people outside is driving me crazy." He smiled sheepishly and unconsciously rubbed his cold fingers together as they thawed and started to tingle.  
"How about a hot chocolate with lavender then?" asked the man whose name tag read  _ Tim, he/him _ .   
"It's good for the nerves, warm and nice and sweet. Sounds like the perfect match for you."  
  
Martin had the feeling that his heart stopped for a moment when Tim decided to wink at him along with these words.  
"Ah, I... yes, that... that... sounds very... yes, please, I’ll take that one."  
"To go or to stay here?" Tim looked at him expectantly with those pretty chocolate eyes. Martin scolded inside for thinking that way, he was a grown man, not a teenager with a crush.  _ Get a grip, Martin!  
_ "Oh, for drinking here, I... I want to escape the chaos out there for a while longer." There you go, a normal sentence, almost no stuttering.  
"May I still ask your name, even if I'm not gonna write it on a mug?" Martin, if that was even possible, became even more embarrassed and redder in the face.  
"Oh... I... I am Martin."  
"My name’s Tim. Nice to meet you, Martin."  
  
They look at each other for a moment, then Martin leaves to take a seat and tries to busy himself with looking around the cafe and not in Tim's direction. The guy was probably flirting with everyone that came in here and Martin was not one to flirt back. With looks like that, there must be many creepers coming up and flirting with Tim on the job and Martin hated people who did this. Being nice probably not only earned him a lot of tips, but also some unwanted attention. Martin wouldn’t be one of those people.  
  
The lavender chocolate tasted fantastic and finally warmed him up completely - apparently his blush hadn't been enough to spread heat to his fingertips. When he had emptied the cup he almost felt like a human being again. He thanked Tim, left him a generous tip and made his way home.  
  
Martin tried his best not to think about Tim when he lay in his bed that night and couldn't sleep. He had always had a weakness for men with dark eyes.  
  
\---  
  
He hadn't really intended to come back to the coffee shop. But two days later, on his way home from work, he found himself almost automatically taking the turnoff to the side street. There were a few more people, and this time there was another barista there besides Tim. She was laughing about something a customer had said. Tim stood with his back to Martin at the coffee machine and offered a wonderful view of his back in a well-fitting white t-shirt. Martin took a deep breath, to avoid being a stuttering heap of embarrassment once again, and walked over to the counter just as Tim turned around. He caught sight of Martin, began to beam and presented the customer in front of him with two steaming cups.  
"Martin, how nice to see you!"  
  
Martin was surprised that the barista had remembered his name. He himself had remembered Tim's name of course, it was rare to meet someone so... beautiful, and Martin still felt strangely warm when he remembered that Tim had winked at him. Martin, on the other hand, was nothing special. He was sure dozens of people gave Tim their names every day and probably their phone number as well. Maybe he was just someone who could remember names easily.  
  
"Sasha... This is Martin. I saved him from the crowds outside two days ago.” Tim smiled proudly as if he himself had dragged Martin out of the people into the shop. Sasha, the young barista next to Tim, just laughed.  
"I'm sure you did.” Turning around to face Martin she added: “Nice to meet you, Martin."  
"Nice to meet you, too," Martin managed to say before Tim replied indignantly.  
"Hey, it was a wonderfully soothing hot lavender chocolate."  
"Of course, chocolate boy." Sasha was still facing Martin and now asked what he would like to drink.  
  
"Ah... I think I'd like the..." Martin was glad that no one was standing behind him in the queue, so he took a moment to study the board behind the counter. He hadn't even known that he was coming here today, how would he know what he wanted to drink? How could he think about anything when Tim looked at him expectantly, still grinning?  
Today's special was "A drink so sweet you’ll want to eat a pickle afterwards".    
Martin laughed at that and then decided to just try it. Sweet coffee had always been his favourite.  
"I, uh... I'll have the special of the day, I think."  
"Oh, I'm not sure I can make something sweeter than you, Martin, but I’ll try..." Sasha took a rolled up newspaper that was lying on the counter and playfully slapped Tim with it.  
"One day special, to go?" She then asked turning back to Martin, whose cheeks had turned flaming red again.  
  
"I... uh ... to... I have a ... moment of time, I..." He pointed, somewhat awkwardly, towards an empty seat, grinned like a madman and then moved to sit there and stare out the window. Christ, why couldn’t the grounds just open up beneath him now and take him? This was so embarrassing! Why was he unable to speak and act like a normal person in front of gorgeous Tim? He looked like the athletic guys who beat Martin up in college, with his muscles and hair and million dollar smile. But maybe Martin was just some kind of masochist, always crushing on the ones that were too handsome, too out of reach for him. Tim was nice to everyone here, that is how you made money as a barista. Martin was the creep who now again glanced over there to watch Tim make his super sweet drink. He gave a big tip again and left right after finishing his very caramelly coffee.   
  
\---  
  
It must be some kind of humiliation kink that brought Martin to come back almost every other day. Each time Tim made him blush, with his ever more absurd flirting. Martin had not yet found out if he really was like this with all his customers or if he just enjoyed making Martin stutter and embarrass himself.  He had started to take the special of the day almost every time he stopped by, as they were mostly sweet drinks and Tim seemed to enjoy it when someone tried his crazy combinations. Martin was about to seriously fall in love. Tim not only looked better than any other man Martin knew, he was also funny and nice and even if it wasn't real, Martin enjoyed a man like Tim flirting with him.  
  
Almost three weeks passed and his visits to the café became a pleasant routine. It was his little refuge when the days were busy and the people were overwhelming. When he didn't know where to take himself and the loneliness of his apartment threatened to fall on his head, he would come to Tim and Sasha and the smell of coffee and cake.  
  
Yesterday had been especially bad. Martin's working day was long and exhausting, but he had been looking forward to the evening. He had a blind date, a second cousin of someone he knew... Martin wasn't really interested, but he went anyway. A nice dinner, a nice conversation, it didn't have to be anything…  _ more _ . He would come out of the house for once and who knew if it wouldn't lead to  _ something  _ in the end?  
It led to Martin entering the coffee shop very early the next morning, with slightly swollen eyes but at least not crying anymore. It was a Sunday, and he was the only customer, Tim had probably just opened. Martin could hear him rummaging in the backroom and there was not even a special on the board yet. Not that Martin had intended to order something like that today.

"Oh, Martin, you're out early." The words and the grin stuck in Tim's throat when he saw Martin standing there.  
"Hey, is everything okay? You look like you need a hot chocolate and a hug?" As much as Martin wanted both, and his heart longed to be held in Tim's strong arms, he shook his head.  
"No, just... just coffee, please. Black."  
Tim now walked round the counter and without hesitation put one hand on Martin's forehead.  
"Do you have a fever, Martin? Is... who are you and what have you done to Martin, huh?" He smiled weakly, but the worry was still written all over his face.  
  
The spot where Tim had touched his forehead was burning and Martin almost felt tears welling up again. God, he was so pathetic. One lousy date could throw him off balance like that? A few comments and weird glances...  
"I... ...I should... I should cut back on the sweet drinks," he just muttered and shrugged. "Shouldn't exactly hurt… this." He somewhat gestured down his body.  
Tim's eyes narrowed and he mustered Martin from head to take a good look at  _ this _ .  
"Okay, tell me what happened, huh?" He pointed to two chairs and gently pushed Martin into one of them while taking the other seat.  
  
"Ah, it's... it's actually really stupid, I had... a date, and the guy was... well, it was a blind date, and the guy was expecting someone who wasn't so... someone with... a different figure than mine, I guess?"  
Martin couldn't look Tim in the eye. He sat there, a weepy pile of misery that hadn't slept half the night because some guy called him fat. How could Tim understand, the gorgeous, handsome Tim with his chocolate eyes. Who was so easy to flirt with everyone, who had probably never had a bad date before. At least Martin could not imagine how someone who was happy enough to go out with Tim could make him have a bad time.   
  
“And so the dude was… well, he did not outright say it, you know, he had some manners, but he looked me up and down in that strange way and then he was very pointedly just ordering a salad and was all about skipping desert, but not in a good way and…” Martin sighed deeply, still not looking at Tim.   
“I don’t know, it was like… back in High School where folks would treat me like shit and I…”   
Martin stopped talking the moment that Tim lay a hand on his knee. He slowly looked up at his face, which was serious and showed barely hidden anger.    
“Martin… I will not allow you to make yourself feel bad because of this absolute dumbass of a date.” Martin wanted to start again, to even defend the date guy because in the end he was right and Martin could afford to lose a pound or-  
  
“Nah, don’t want to hear that right now,” Tim cut his overthinking right off.   
“You are a very handsome man, you are just right in exactly the way you are, and everyone who wants to tell you different does absolutely not deserve you. You come in here, with your bright shirts and your smile and your freckles and it brightens my day every time I see you. Sasha’s already been teasing me ‘cause I tend to get mopey the days you don’t stop by. I have even thought about putting my number up there as the daily special, but I am sure that you just would be much too polite to hit on someone at their workplace and…”   
  
“Tim...”   
“No, let me… let me finish, please. Life's too short for black coffee. Life is too short for stupid men trying to tell you that you are not good enough. Life’s too short for this. You gotta make the best out of it and be with people who fully accept you and I won't…”   
“Tim, shut up.”    
Martin finally looked into Tims dark eyes, tears welling up in his own again. He put his hand upon Tims, still placed on his knee.   
“You are right,” he admits with a sad smile. “You are right. Life's too short for that. And I am sure it is all easy for… you, when you look like this and have all the confidence in the world but, I am... “   
“Plenty confident, sure, not managing to ask you out before some stupid guy takes you on a shitty blind date.”   
“It wa- Wait…”   
It slowly begins to dawn to Martin what exactly Tim had been trying to say all along.   
“W-Wait, you mean…  _ you…  _ you wanted to ask  _ me  _ out?”  
“I thought that was clear by now.” Tim turns his hand and laces his fingers up with Martins.   
“But, I… I thought I… I wanted to, but… ”  
  
“Martin, I was smitten the first day you came into my coffee shop with your blushing and liking my ridiculously sweet drinks. You are handsome, and honestly, quite sexy, and if you don’t stop feeling bad about your body I might just have to start kissing every inch of it to show you that there are people who very much appreciate you.”  
Martins face burns now and he can’t help but to smile like an idiot.    
“This is what I wanted to see,” Tim murmured and slid a little closer to Martin, deciding that one day he would count every freckle on Martin's face. Or body. He lifted a hand up to Martins cheek.    
“I am going to kiss you now… ‘s that okay?” Tim asked, already so close that Martin could feel his breath on his lips. He clearly did not object to that, so he nodded.  
  
It was a gentle kiss. Tims lips were soft and he smelled very good. A wonderful warmth spread through Martins whole body and he closed his eyes and just let himself feel. They parted after a few moments, both grinning stupidly and now even Tims cheeks were tinted red.    
“Finally!”   
They spun around to see Sasha had entered the coffee shop and was beaming at them.   
“I was going to just write Tims number on your cup today, Martin, he was being ridiculous.”   
Martin let out a shy giggle, and then Tim started to grin and all three of them just burst into laughter.  
  
“Soo…” Martin took Tims hand and pulled him closer when Sasha went to the back room to get ready to start her shift and probably give them another moment alone.   
“I think I might like to take today's special… if it is still your phone numbers, that is.” Tim closes the distance between them and pulls Martin into another kiss, smiling all the way through. “Today's special is that I will take you out on the best date you ever had, Martin, but I am sure that also contains me giving you my number…”   
“Sounds perfect.”  
“Of course it does, you like all my specials.”

**Author's Note:**

> just wait until Martin finds out that Tim is also a Yoga teacher on weekends...


End file.
